Posted on 07/14/2006 6:36:00 PM PDT by freedom44
After the 1979 Islamic Revolution a little known clandestine Islamist group remerged from the ashes. Formed in 1953 with a radically anti-Bahai and anti-Sunni ideology the Hojjatiehs flourished during the Revolution that ousted the Shah. The fiery, respected Sheik Hamud Halabi urged the Hojjatiehs to vote in favor of the Velayat-e-Faqih form of government in the referendum mainly due to fear of a communist takeover.
Velayat-e-Faqih, the "guardianship of the jurisconsult" is the modern political doctrine set out by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. In his book of Jurist governmental rule he addressed the role of the clergy in the government. Under this doctrine he proclaimed himself and his successors as Supreme Leaders of a purist Islamic nation. In spite of propaganda purported by apologists and the naïve pouncing on Iran's presidential elections, virtually all authority lies with an absolute dictatorship under the Velayat-e-Faqih government: a concept dearly advocated and embraced by the founders of the Islamic Republic. Due to disagreement over the Velayat-e-Faqih system the Hojjatiehs were banned in 1983. Ayatollah Khomeini was adamantly opposed to the Hojjatieh's conviction that Shiites should advocate a more progressive arrival of the 12th Imam.
The Imam is a core concept in the teachings of Shiite Muslims. Born Muhammad Al-Mahdi, the Imam ventured into a cave in 941 AD hidden by the Gate of Occultation. Shiites believe that the Twelfth Imam will one day return to lead the religious battle between good and evil when the world has become consummately nefarious. They argue that it is only at that stage that a genuine Islamic Republic will emerge.
"Strategic political maneuvers within the Islamic Republic may lead some to conclude an imminent conflict between the two factions but it's more feasible to conclude that in the end the two ideological factions will cooperate to preserve the system."
Since the arrival of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad the group has seen a mass resurgence in the government. Recently a former chief of staff of Khomeini claimed that the Revolutionary Guards and many of the cabinet positions had been filled by Hojjatiehs who control Ahmadinejad. Although it is disputed whether Ahmadinejad is himself a member of the society he has shown strong support for their Armageddon message. He was quoted as saying that "Our revolution's main mission is to pave the way for the reappearance of the 12th Imam, the Mahdi," and that "Today we should define our economic, cultural and political parties based on the policy of Imam Mahdi's return we should avoid copying West's politics and systems," he was quoted as saying to newspapers and local agencies.
Ahmadinejad's clerical spiritual advisor Ayatollah Mohammad Taghi Mesbah-Yazdi is also an ardent Hojjatiehi. He has taught at the Hojjatieh founded Haqqani Theological School in Qum. Qum is the central religious central of Iranian as well as many other international Shiites. During the last presidential elections he issued a fatwa urging all two million members of the hard-line volunteer basin Islamic Militia to support Ahmadinejad.
Along with many other Hojjatiehs he advocates the hastening of the arrival of the 12th Imam leading to the battle between good and evil.
The arrival of Ahmadinejad was a domestically calculated power grab by the Hojjatieh adherents. Several signs point to the resurgence of the this clandestine group, such as recent call of Ahmadinejad for wiping Israel off the map, their harsh confrontational approach towards the West, their intermeddling in neighboring countries, increasing in the support of terror groups, the suppression of ethnic minorities at home, the lessening of the appearance of Khamenei and the increase in the oppression of the Bahais and Sunnis.
Perhaps wanting to circumvent the brash and naïve foreign policy agenda of Ahmadinejad on June 25th Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei created the Strategic Council for Foreign Relations. The prime objective of the council which include seasoned foreign relation veterans such as Ali Akbar Velayati, foreign minister and former Islamic Revolution Guards Corp admiral Ali Shamkhani is to facilitate the countries foreign policy objectives.
Intellectuals need to engage in debate about the possibility of the commingling of the two factions and whether this will lead to a deepening disagreement between the ideological beliefs of the Velayat-e-Faqih system originally endorsed by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and followed by his successors such as Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the even more radical Hojjatiehs. Ultimately their preservation may be more important than squabbling between factions with too many similarities and not many differences.
Strategic political maneuvers within the Islamic Republic may lead some to conclude an imminent conflict between the two factions but it's more feasible to conclude that in the end the two ideological factions will cooperate to preserve the system. At a time when the regime is under immense domestic and international pressure the last thing the Ayatollahs need is internal squabbling and resounding divisions.
The logical conclusion points in the direction of the combination of forces between the current Jurist run dictatorial system and the anti-Bahai, radically aggressive policies of the Hojjatiehs in order to preserve the Islamic system. Either way the regime will remain the world's leading sponsor of terrorism - the question is whether the Hojjatiehs concept of hastening the arrival of the 12th Imam by causing war and chaos across the world will take form. Most analysts rightfully contest our best weapon in Iran are the pro-American people who in recent years have consistently poured out into the streets in pro-Democracy demonstrations only to be arrested, tortured, and often times murdered. We should invest more aggressively in their liberation before we have to deal with a fanatical regime armed with nuclear weapons with a potent desire to drive the world towards Armageddon.
Interesting article. I knew Ahmadinejad wante to hasten the arrival of the 12th imam but I knew nothing of the history of the movement.
If this guy does truly believe that by creating chaos he can bring this final battle and imam's appearance about more quickly then all types of analysis go out the window. He's a total wild-card and there's no way to predict with any certainity what he might do in any given situation.
I bears repeating, "Thank you Jimmy Carter"!
I got your 12th Imam - right here!
What I dont understand is how Iran, in all likelyhood responsible for this entire crisis, gets off the hook scott free, as usual. Theyre sitting back and laughing at everyone, including the U.N. (I guess thats ok, since its the most useless organization on the face of the planet). But seriously, when are they going to be held accountable - for ANYTHING? Makes me sick.
L
I've got two theories about the current conflict...
1. Iran has several nuclear weapons and are waiting on an overt provocation to use them. This would have taken substantial help from Pakistan and North Korea.
2. Hizbollah is acting too soon and their short-sighted actions will allow Israel to do the necessary dirty work to take out Iran's nukes. The other possibility is that a covert operation was used to get Hizbollah to take action so that Israel could hit them hard.
Senario 1 is a nightmare. Number 2 is an extension of the current GWOT.
Anybody seen a cartoon showing the 12th Iman lately?
It is impossible to disagree with this conclusion because investing in liberation is an inherently righteous act. The described path to liberty is a function of the describer and my reading of this work leads me to believe this author shares my vision of liberty. My only supplement is to say, "Stay the course". This is a long term investment in the liberty of all human kind. This work suggests an investment in a people who subscribe to Islam and speak Farsi. The returns on this investment are not as easily measured as, for example, day trading on an IPO.
I happen to believe the returns will be incalculably profitable. However, fortitude is necessary to weather the storms of data that does not fit our individual preconceptions... Success depends on our ability to absorb reality and act on it. History tells us that the free, educated mind is more capable than the caged, educated mind. So ask yourself, "who is truly free and truly educated?". Are they fully engaged in this war for the liberation of Iran?
"You keep knocking on the devil's door long enough, somebody gonna answer you...."
It's a Helluva situation when Khomeini is now considered to have been a "moderate".
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